A New Eden
by A Lousy Author
Summary: Three years after the events in Inaba, the Investigation Team is attending college in Boston. When people start disappearing as word of a new Eden arises, they are called into action to solve this new mystery.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N **I just recently finished Persona 4 Golden and this idea popped into my head. Figured it would be fun to give writing a shot again. Standard disclaimer of me not owning the characters, etc. applies for this and all subsequent chapters. Please leave a review. I will respond to all reviews that provide a way to do so.

Yu Narukami shouldered his backpack full of groceries, stepped off the bus, and began walking down the street toward his new apartment. As he walked he reflected on how much life had changed his the past three years. After helping to solve the Adachi case in Inaba he had moved back to Tokyo with his family and finished out his last year of high school. It had been incredibly hard to leave of all his friends behind, but thankfully, that quickly became a non-issue thanks to Teddie.

_Yu heard it before he really saw anything, but immediately dropped into a defensive stance, a product of his year fighting shadows with his friends._

"_Hey Sensei! Hows it going?" cheered a large, bearlike figure as it tumbled comically out of the television in Yu's bedroom._

_Yu immediately relaxed, "Teddie? What are you doing here?"_

"_Everybody went to school so I got lonely. We had just been talking about how much we missed you, so I went into the TV world to see if I could change what TV I came out of. It was beary hard, but I just kept thinking about the TV in your room while I was summoning the exit, and pop here I am!"_

"_Teddie it's eleven o'clock at night, how long have you been in the TV world?"_

_Teddie furrowed his brow and brought his hand to his chin as if doing an incredibly difficult calculation. After a few moments he exclaimed "Twelve hours! Anything was worth it to get to see my Sensei again!"_

_Yu shook his head, amused, glad to be seeing a friendly face. Suddenly, a thought dawned on him. He hesitated for a moment before asking "Did your other exit stay there when you made the new one?"_

"_Of course! They don't go away until I get rid of them."_

"_So, I could come back to Inaba right now if I wanted to? I just have to go through the TV world?"_

_Teddie's face lit up "Oh wow Sensei! That means you could hang out with us every day! You should come right now. Everyone's been saying that they can't bear to keep missing you."_

Yu chuckled to himself. That had been quite a night. Luckily everyone had been awake so they showed up quickly when Teddie called an emergency meeting at their secret headquarters. The rest of the night had been spent in the TV world with Teddie opening exits to TVs in each of their homes. Rise had been helpful enough to go back to Junes to get materials to make signs, marking where each TV led. By the time they finally said goodnight the sun was already rising, but it had made staying in touch much easier. Despite the fact that they now lived in very different parts of the country, the Investigation Team was still able to hang out like they always had. It had taken Dojima and Nanako by surprise the first time Yu visited their house after returning to Tokyo, but Nanako was too excited for Dojima to protest much before he said that he "didn't want to know," and that Yu was still welcome any time.

It had certainly made Yu's decision to study abroad much easier, which was why he was now walking down the streets of Boston towards his new apartment.

He crossed the street, dodging a few cars as he did so, and passed by a small plaza where a man was speaking to all who would listen.

"I have seen the new Eden and it is within reach of all of us! Heed my words and together we can form a better tomorrow for all people. The path will not be easy, but many hands will make light work. Join together, for the sake of all!"

Yu paid the man no heed and continued on his way. Soon enough he had reached the front door of his home. He noticed a gigantic moving truck outside as he opened the door and had barely crossed the threshold before being jumped by a bubbly girl with copper red hair.

"Hiya Senpai! Did you miss me?"

"Hello Rise. It's nice to see you after these two whole days apart." Yu replied.

"That hurts my feelings Senpai." Rise pouted, "You can make it up to me by helping me cart in all my stuff!"

"Ah. So that truck outside was yours?" Yu sighed as he dropped the groceries he had been carrying on the counter and turned back towards the door.

"Yep! This would have been so much easier if we just brought everything through the TV. I still don't get why you said we couldn't."

"Because it would look very strange to the neighbors, not to mention our parents if we never moved anything in, but managed to have a fully furnished home. The fewer people that know about the TV the better."

"I guess that makes sense but it's still annoying!"

They walked out to the truck and opened up the back. As Yu took in the sheer quantity of things that Rise had managed to pack, he looked up at the darkening sky and began to panic slightly.

"Did you happen to see Chie or Yukiko or Yosuke when you got here?" He asked, hoping for some backup.

"Nope. You were the first person I saw."

"Did you really need to pack so much?"

"Well, we are going to be here for a while, and you never know what you're going to need, so I thought it was better to be safe than sorry."

Yu exhaled, resigning himself to the task before him and grabbed a few of the boxes nearest to him. Thankfully, Rise had labeled each of them quite clearly, so figuring out where each went wasn't difficult. It took the better part of the afternoon, but they finally managed to empty the truck and put everything in its proper place.

Yu and Rise collapsed on the couch and took a moment to catch their breaths. As they did so, Rise took the time to look around and take stock of her surroundings.

"You were right Senpai, this place is really nice."

"You can thank Yosuke for that. He was the one who got us the great deal on the lease. Apparently he's picked up a few negotiation tips from his Dad."

In truth, finding an apartment like this had taken them the better part of a month. Yu had floated the idea of having the whole team find a place together the year previous and everyone had immediately agreed, but actually finding a place that could fit seven people (now that it had returned to its original state, Teddie preferred to sleep in the TV world) was incredibly difficult. It was a stroke of luck that while they were walking home from a concert one evening he and Yosuke had seen the for rent sign and written down the contact number. They returned the next day with Chie and Yukiko to check it out and, after a bit of negotiation, signed the lease.

Rise nodded, "Well he is studying business. At least he's putting it to good use."

They spent the next few minutes chatting until Yu stood up and walked over to the kitchen.

"The others will probably be home soon. I should get started cooking."

"Whatcha making? Can I help?"

He hesitated a moment, "I guess, but no touching the spices. Can you brown the chicken for me? I'm making a pot pie."

She nodded and did as he asked. In no time they had the filling prepared and poured it into the pie dish. As Yu placed the pie in the oven he heard the door open.

"Hey! We're home!" shouted Chie as she walked in and Yukiko following closely behind. "Oh hi there Rise." She added when she noticed the new addition to the home.

Rise ran over to the group and hugged them in greeting as Yu explained "Dinner will be ready in about an hour. How'd your trip go?"

Just then Yosuke appeared in the doorway dragging a heavy looking bag in behind him.

"Man, how'd I get stuck doing the heavy lifting? I'm going for the groceries next time."

"That's because Yu is the one who is cooking for us, so he knew what ingredients he needed." Yukiko explained.

Yosuke grunted as he lifted the bag onto the counter. "Fine, I'll cook next time. It can't be worst than Mystery Food X."

Yu opened the bags and started pulling out the new plates and silverware that Yosuke had bought. "Fine with me, but you realize that even if you cook next time I won't have to go buy more plates?"

Yukiko chuckled as Yosuke processed what Yu had said and replied, "Whatever. I'm starving, can you make that thing cook faster?"

As Yu shook his head, Yosuke continued, "Fine, then I'm gonna take a nap. Great to see you again Rise." He walked across the living room to his bedroom and closed the door behind himself.

The rest of the group spent the hour catching up while they set the table.

"So, looking forward to your first year of college?" Chie asked Rise.

"Yeah. It'll be nice to be at a place where people aren't recognizing me as Risette all the time. I still like being a star, but it'll be a good change of pace. Plus, living with you guys is gonna be fun!."

"Yeah, how'd you convince the school to let the three of you live of campus anyway? Don't they normally make freshmen live in a dorm?"

"It wasn't too hard. I just had my manager call the school and offer to make a nice donation if they waived the requirement."

Chie shrugged, "Makes sense I guess. One of the perks of being an idol."

When the food had almost finished cooking Yu went to wake Yosuke and Yukiko stuck her head in the TV to tell Teddie it was time to eat. Teddie came bounding out of the TV as usual and rushed over to Rise.

"Rise-chan! You're here!"

She chuckled, "Yep. Senpai helped me get moved in. And where have you been all this time?"

"Sleeping! This is my breakfast."

"Teddie's working at Junes still. He's already strange enough that having him pop up in random places wouldn't draw too much attention." Yu explained, "Besides, he likes the job and it's a good way to get grocery and rent money."

Teddie gave an exaggerated nod. "Bear-sides I didn't want everyone at Junes to miss me!"

"Yeah. I guess you can't have the store's mascot go missing." Rise said thoughtfully. "Anyway, let's eat."

The six sat down at the table to eat and were largely silent through the meal, enjoying the good food.

"So, when are Kanji and Naoto going to get here?" Yukiko asked, breaking the silence.

"Last I spoke to her, Naoto said that they'd be here sometime tomorrow so they would have the weekend to move in before classes began." Rise replied.

"Man. I am not looking forward to going back to classes." Yosuke complained, "It was nice having the summer off from homework and just having to work at junes."

"Give it a few more years and you won't have to worry about that. Yukiko, you, and I at least will be back in Inaba for good soon enough." Chie told him.

"On second thought, maybe school isn't so bad. At least we're in a city with stuff to do."

"That's true. Kanji and Naoto are in for a bit of culture shock aren't they?" Yukiko wondered. "I'm sure you're used to it from all the traveling, right Rise?"

Rise nodded, "Yeah. We'd hit all the big cities on tour. Inaba was the first place that I'd really been in where you could get across town without spending half a day in traffic."

They finished their meal, chatting amicably, and put the plates in the dishwasher. They sat down in the living room and turned on the TV. The image flashed to life, showing a news report already in progress.

"... last seen near Brigham Circle. Again, please contact the number shown on screen if you have any information on the whereabouts of mister Grant McCarthy."

Rise turned to Yu, "Isn't that near here? You did say this was a safe neighborhood, right?"

"It is, relatively speaking. He probably just wanted to go away without telling anyone for some reason."

"If I get scared at night, you promise you'll keep me safe though, right Senpai?"

Yukiko half-heartedly rolled her eyes while Chie sighed, "You haven't changed at all of course."

Rise smiled at Chie and Yukiko before returning her attention to Yu, who decided that the best plan was to retreat to his room for the evening.

"I'm going to go to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day helping Kanji and Naoto move in." He said quickly, moving towards his room. He shut the door as soon as he had crossed the threshhold and sat on his bed for a moment before preparing for bed.

Outside, Rise's face fell, but she regained her normal cheerfulness quickly. "He's always like that." She commented.

"Yep. This girl's still dangerous." Chie said.

Teddie saw his opportunity and piped up, "If Sensei doesn't want to score with you Rise-chan, I'd be more than happy to!"

Yukiko smacked Teddie in the back of the head, as had become habit, "I thought we agreed to let that joke go Teddie?" She said coldly before turning toward Rise, giving her a kind, but somewhat analytical look. "Don't worry. I'm sure Yu isn't doing it to hurt your feelings."

Yosuke stood up and stretched, "Well if you three are going to gossip I'm gonna hit the hay too. G'night."

Teddie, nursing the growing bump on the back of his head, followed Yosuke's cue and bid everyone goodnight as he returned to the TV world.

The girls, not actually having much to gossip about also decided to turn in. They shut off the television, made sure that the dishwasher was set to run, turned off the lights, and went upstairs to sleep. Soon, the house was dark and silent, except for the sound of rain hitting the windows, and, for a few minutes, a yellow glow from the TV.


	2. Chapter 2

The weekend passed in quickly. Kanji and Naoto arrived on Saturday and spent the better part of the day unpacking. The next day was relatively uneventful as the group spent the rest of the day resting, catching up, and preparing for the beginning of the semester.

Monday brought with it gray skies and cold, rainy weather, which Yu and Yukiko found themselves caught in as they walked towards campus that morning. They enjoyed a comfortable silence as they walked, neither feeling a need to make small talk. Eventually however, Yukiko broke the silence.

"It's good that Kanji and Naoto finally figured things out. It was funny that they thought we'd be surprised when they told us that they were dating." She chuckled.

Yu nodded in response. He had actually helped Kanji out with asking Naoto on their first date a few months prior. Kanji had plans to set up a picnic on the hill overlooking Inaba and then to spend the evening followed by a stroll through the shopping district, likely including a stop at the Yomenaido Bookstore. It was a perfect idea for a first date, Kanji had just needed some encouragement to actually go through with it. Kanji thanked Yu profusely, but swore him to secrecy, because "a real man can ask a girl out without needing help."

"I wonder what took Kanji so long to ask Naoto?" Yukiko pondered. "It's been obvious since before we really knew them that there was something going on there."

"He probably just didn't want to commit to anything when he didn't know what the future held."

"Oh?" Yukiko asked.

"Well, he had no idea if Naoto would be around after the case was solved. It would be hard to start something and then have her disappear across the country to work another case."

"That makes sense. I'm happy for them in any case." Yukiko said, with the feeling that Yu's words held insight into more than just Kanji's thought processes.

She put that thought aside and continued, "So, are you excited for classes to begin?"

"Yeah. It'll be fun having class with a friend again. Why are you taking an economics course again? I didn't think you needed to if you were specializing in management."

"You don't, but I thought it would be a good way for me to gain perspective on the largest scale aspects of businesses. If I want to run the inn effectively knowing what forces affect the economy as a whole will make it easier to prepare for times that are slower than usual."

He nodded, "Good idea. Still set on running the inn I take it?"

Yukiko looked down, "Yes. That decision hasn't changed since you helped me to make it." Returning her gaze to him, she added, "And what about you? Do you have any plans for what you'll be doing after we finish college?"

This question puzzled Yu for a moment. He'd never really considered what he planned to do with his life. He just went along for the ride and things seemed to work out. He hadn't planned to visit Inaba but his winding up there led to him making the best friends he had ever had. Solving a murder case and saving the world also happened entirely unplanned. Life just seemed to happen in ways that made him happy so planning for the future was something of a foreign concept.

"Not really." He admitted. "I suppose I'll just going wherever life takes me."

"And how is life going to decide that?" Yukiko asked, amused.

He grinned at her, "Well, I suppose we''ll find that out."

The two arrived at campus and made their way towards the lecture hall that would play host to their class for the next hour. The hall was large, able to hold about two hundred people and was dominated by a set of three large blackboards in the front. They had arrived almost fifteen minutes early, so the seats were, for the most part, empty. Yukiko made immediately for the third row, close to the front, but not too close, and Yu joined her.

Students drifted into the room slowly, and by five minutes to eight the room was nearly full. Their chatter filled the room with noise, but it quickly died out once the professor entered the room. He was a a short, friendly looking man.

"Hello class. My name is Professor Jean Newman and this is Macroeconomic Theory. My TAs are handing out the syllabus now. I trust you can review it on your own, so I won't waste time going over it. Feel free to email me or see me after class or in my office if you have any questions. Now, we have a lot of material to cover, so let's get right into it."

The class moved quickly, covering basic concepts like inflation, consumption, unemployment, and supply and demand curves. Prof. Newman did an effective job of covering everything very clearly and paused to answer everyone's questions. Yu and Yukiko both left the class with positive impressions of their new teacher.

The two split with Yukiko heading to her Family Business Management class and Yu for his Statistics class, which passed without fanfare. Thus, Yu found himself heading to the library to get a start on some of his homework. He claimed a space in the corner of the first floor and sat down to do his work. He spent about an hour going over problems in his economics textbook and was just about to put it aside and begin reading his statistics book when a familiar figure walked up beside him.

"Man... Working ahead already? This must be why you always were top of the class back at Yasogami." Yosuke said, grinning.

"Well, someone needed to help Yukiko tutor you guys." Yu shot back. "What're you doing in the library anyway? It's not like you have any exams to worry about."

"Me and Kanji were gonna grab lunch and figured we'd find you here. Wanna come?"

Yu looked at his watch and started gathering his things. "Sure. I was just finishing up anyway."

The two exited the library and began walking towards the main street near campus.

"Kanji said he'd meet us there." Yosuke explained. "So, the gang's all back together, just like old times."

Yu nodded, he was, in fact, quite glad that everyone had gotten back together. The more he thought of his experiences in the Velvet Room, and how "bonds of people is the true power," the more he came to understand it. At least for him, having friends and helping people made his life fulfilling. Their true power was their ability to help people find happiness.

"It's gonna be a bit weird though." Yosuke continued. "Living with the girls, I mean."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, Naoto and Kanji are already together. And they're all hot. And have you looked at Chie recently..." Yosuke's voice trailed off.

Yu laughed, "You haven't changed at all, have you?"

Yosuke shrugged in response, "I'm just saying what I feel. How about you? Have you figured out your type yet? You were pretty tight lipped when I asked you a few years ago."

It was Yu's turn to shrug this time.

"Man... Do you even have a type?"

Yu grinned but remained silent.

"Three years and I still can't read you." Yosuke shook his head. "I'm starting to think you might be a robot."

Yu held his face as straight as he could and said in a monotone, "Of course I am not a robot. What would cause you to come to this conclusion."

Yosuke chuckled then became serious, "I was kidding dude. But really, every girl in school was all over you and you acted like you didn't even notice." He started counting on his fingers, "You had Ai, that girl from the band, Rise of course, Yumi Ozawa, and I heard you even had some nurse at the hospital you worked at after you. I'm pretty sure Yukiko and Chie had things for you too."

Yu considered for a moment, before admitting, "The timing didn't seem right."

"Aha! So there was, or is, someone. Who is it? It's not Chie, is it?" He added, looking a bit nervous.

Yu was silent for a moment, enjoying watching his friend squirm a little, "No. Chie's an amazing friend, but not more than that."

Yosuke looked visibly relieved, but kept pressing, "Then who?"

"I'll tell you that when the timing is right." Yu replied blithely.

"I give up." Yosuke said, slumping his shoulders. "Go ahead and be all mysterious. I guess it works for you."

The two arrived at the restaurant, a simple pizza joint with white walls and some seating inside. The quickly spotted Kanji and walked over to him.

"Man, what took ya guys so long? I'm starvin' here." He said as a sort of greeting.

"I had to find this guy. He was in the library, unsurprisingly." Yosuke said, elbowing Yu in the ribs.

Yu shrugged and began walking towards the counter to order. Yosuke and Kanji quickly followed. Once their orders had been placed they returned to their table.

"Working all ready Senpai? Things really don't change do they?" Kanji asked.

"I just prefer being ahead of the game is all. Besides, some things do change." Shifting the attention back to Kanji.

Yosuke picked up on the direction Yu was headed, "Yeah, so you and Naoto huh? Not that that's really a change, but how long has that 'officially' been going on?"

Kanji's faced reddened, "A few months. I guess."

Yosuke smacked him on the back, "Good for you man. We all knew it was gonna happen, just didn't know how long it'd take."

Kanji shot him a glare and lamely tried to change the subject, "So uh, how are classes going Senpai?"

Yu decided to have mercy, "Good so far. Yukiko and I really like our Macro teacher. He moves fast, but is very clear."

Kanji nodded but didn't say anything and the conversation hit a lull. Thankfully one of the employees came over and dropped off their pizza allowing them to focus on the food rather than trying to find something to talk about.

The three finished their meal, thanked the staff, and headed out the door. They began walking back towards campus when their attention was drawn by a small crowd that was gathering on a street corner.

"What the hell's that?" Kanji asked.

"Dunno, let's check it out."

They crossed the street towards the crowd. As they got nearer they heard a man speaking.

"I have already helped one to see the light. I can help many more! Follow me and together we can create a better tomorrow!"

Yu thought he recognized the voice and tried to poke his head over the small crowd to get a look at the man who was speaking. He was a tall, attractive man dressed in jeans and a button down shirt. His voice and demeanor had a quality to it that made you want to listen to him, which was likely what led to his gaining an audience.

Suddenly, the man pointed at Yu. "You! You know of the land of which I speak. The new Eden! I can see it within you."

The crowd parted in front of Yu, Kanji, and Yosuke, letting the man take a few steps towards them.

"Your friends as well! They have the knowledge too. You must join me, together we can change the world!"

"We've got no idea what you're talking about buddy." Yosuke responded.

"I see." He said simply. "I will make you come to understand soon enough."

With that the man turned and walked away, leaving the crowd to disperse.

"What was the guy talking about?" Yosuke asked.

"I don't know. He was pissin' me off though." Kanji said, punch a fist into his hand.

"I've seen him before." Yu said, causing the other two to run to him. "He was talking about the same stuff over in the plaza near our place on Friday."

"The same guy? You sure?" Kanji asked.

"It was definitely him."

"That's weird. Did he say anything to you then?"

"No, nothing."

Yosuke looked deep in thought, "What did he mean that we 'have the knowledge?' Could he mean our Personas? That's the only thing that really sets us apart from anyone else."

"No way. We're the only ones who know about that. Except maybe Dojima-san. Never was sure if he believed the story." Kanji said.

Yu remained silent and turned to walk back towards campus. Yosuke and Kanji followed behind. There wasn't much conversation on the walk back as all three spent the time processing the event. They bade each other goodbye as they separated to go to class.

Yu sat down in the middle of the classroom and took out his notebook, but found himself unable to focus on what the professor was teaching. He was too busy thinking about what the man had said earlier. While it was entirely possible that the man was simply crazy, Yu had a feeling that he couldn't shake. The fact that he had seen the preaching man the week prior, in the same place where the man had disappeared was suspect. He resolved to tell everyone about his fears that night.

When he walked back outside the combination of the setting sun and gray skies had caused the chill and dark of night to come early. Yu pulled his coat closer to his body and began walking home. His trip home was uneventful, and he walked through the front door of his apartment just as the sky opened up, pouring rain on the city.

"Hey Yu. You're home late. How'd your first day go?" Chie said, looking up from the TV.

He shrugged, "Classes were good. I got lunch with Yosuke and Kanji, but it went downhill after that."

"What's wrong?" She asked, no longer paying any attention to the television.

"We're not entirely sure. It could be nothing, it might be something. Once everyone is back we'll talk about it."

Chie still looked curious but allowed the subject to drop. Yu turned to the kitchen and got out a few ingredients to start making dinner. He took the time to quickly go over what he was going to tell everyone. As he was cooking, Kanji and Naoto came in soaked from the rain, with Yosuke following soon after. Yukiko and Rise wandered downstairs not long before the meal was ready and Teddie came barging through the TV just as they were just about to sit down.

Things were silent for a few minutes after the food was served as everyone enjoyed the meal. The silence soon came to an end as Chie was apparently unable to hold her curiosity any longer.

"So Yu, what happened today that you didn't want to talk about?"

The other girls and Teddie turned to Yu expectantly.

Yu took a moment to settle himself before telling them about the man they had encountered.

"Wow that _is_ pretty creepy." Chie said once he had finished the story.

"It's more that I have a feeling that he was more than someone preaching on the sidewalk. I think he might actually know about the power of Persona. Also, I saw him on Friday at the place where Grant McCarthy went missing, which concerns me."

"But how could he know? We're halfway across the world from Inaba. No one here's ever heard of the Adachi case. 'Sides, there's no way he could know about TV world." Kanji said.

"Even still, I think we should trust Yu." Naoto chimed in. "When investigating a case it is always better to look into something that turns out fruitless than to ignore it, and that holds true outside of just the detective world."

He turned to Teddie, "Have you sensed anyone in the TV world beside yourself?

"Nope! It's completely bare in there."

"Maybe I should go check too? We've been able to sense people better when we both try." Rise said.

"Can't hurt. Might as well go now and get it over with." Yosuke said.

By that point they had finished their meal so they quickly tidied up and went over to the TV. Yu stepped through the TV and found himself in a green pasture, just as he remembered the TV world being after they defeated Izanami, which was somewhat reassuring. He could see the exits that led to everyone's homes, as well as Junes, nearby.

Once everyone was through the TV, Rise and Teddie distanced themselves from the group slightly.

"Persona!"

Kouzeon appeared and Rise, with Teddie's help, began scanning as far as she could, looking for anything out of the ordinary. After about fifteen minutes she dismissed her Persona.

"There's no one here but us as far as I can tell. Sorry guys."

The group returned to their house and took seats in the living room.

"So what're we gonna do about that weirdo? He ain't in the TV world, so should we find him again and ask what the hell he was talkin' about?" Kanji asked, his anger apparent.

"I think for now, we should just stay on guard." Yu responded. "He already knows who the three of us are. Assuming he is a danger, we don't want to make ourselves bigger targets. Teddie, can you keep a look out for anything out of the ordinary?"

Teddie gave a vigorous nod. "Of course Sensei! I'll keep my nose peeled."

"Good. Let's just keep an eye out then."

After the tense discussion no one could find the right thing to say to lighten the mood. One by one people drifted off to bed until only Yu and Yukiko were left in the living room. The room was quiet, save for the sounds of their friends getting ready for bed and the sound of the rain on the windows.

Yukiko broke the silence by asking, "Do you really think there's anything to be worried about Yu?"

"I'm not sure, but given our luck in the past, I have the feeling that something might be going on. Are you worried?" He asked, showing a bit of concern.

"A bit." Yukiko admitted admitted. Subconciously she slid a little bit towards Yu before adding, "I've always felt safer when I'm around you."

Yu processed what Yukiko had said and was about to respond when he was distracted by a yellow flash in the corner of his eye. The two turned towards the TV, which had turned on of its own accord. The screen was blurry, but the sound was perfectly clear.

"What is this place?" A woman's voice asked.

"It is humanity's new Eden." Responded a familiar voice. The one of the preaching man they had encountered earlier. "Because you were brave enough to follow me, it is yours to share and enjoy. But before you may enjoy it, you must overcome yourself."

"What do you mean?" The woman sounded nervous.

"Do not worry, I will be here to help you. Just understand that what is coming will strengthen you."

The image on the screen began to fade, but before it disappeared completely, the man shouted one last word.

"Persona!"

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**A/N **As always, I will respond to all reviews that provide a way to do so. I truly appreciate them.


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